MENTAL CLINIC

Evening Star, Issue 19723, 25 November 1927, Page 3

MENTAL CLINIC

—,——— SUGGESTED FOR DUNEDIN IN CONJUNCTION WITH PUBLIC HOSPITAL “■Tho experience jn other goes to show that people in the very early and presumably most _ curable stages of mental disorder hesitate to visit the mental hospital for advice, fearing that this would imply insanity or degeneracy, but that they freely take advantage of a clinic held at the general hospital-,” stated the Inspectorgeneral iu a letter to the Otago Hospital Board last night, when a suggestion was made that a mental clinic should be established in connection with the Dunedin Hospital. Regular weekly out-patient clinics for persons suffering from mental disorders had been in operation at the general hospitals in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington for over two years, and as they had in each instance been very successful (the Inspectorgeneral wrote), he desired to secure the sympathetic consideration of _ the Otago Board in having similar facilities provided at Dunedin Hospital. The medical superintendent at Scacliff was called upon from time to time to consult at the Dunedin Hospital in regard to mental cases, but this did not meet the object which the department had iu view. During last year over 1,000 persons had visited the clinics at the general hospitals and the numbers were steadily increasing. Dr Thomson (medical _ superintendent) said a mental _ clinic had been carried on at the hospital for two years by Dr Macdonald. The Chairman (Mr W. E. S. Knight): And we have got very little credit for it. Dr Thomson said ho had consulted with the executive of tho honorary medical staff and they had decided to ask Dr Gribben (medical superintendent at Seacliff) to attend a conference in Dunedin on Friday. ' That would not in any way affect the board's actions. Tho board decided to refer the request to the Hospital Committee.